Avalanche Canada issued a special warning to recreational backcountry users on Thursday advising that the snowpack is unstable "to a critical point" across most of central and southeastern B.C., making it likely that skiers or sledders could trigger large slides.

Avalanche forecasters say there have been several incidents over the past week, including a fatal slide involving a Calgary man north of Fernie, and anyone venturing out in the current conditions requires expert-level knowledge about managing potential dangers.

Two snowmobilers from B.C. also had to be rescued on Sunday after getting lost while sledding the previous day at Boulder Mountain.